Red Rain
by Rica18
Summary: Sydney thought Vaughn was the perfect man, they could have the perfect relationship. She was dead wrong.
1. Weiss,help me

Hey Everyone.

This is my first Alias fan fiction ever. I've written stuff before mostly for Charmed. So here it goes. This story was inspired by Leave the Light On by Beth Hart and by one scene in Masquerade (Season 1, Episode 18) So I hope everyone enjoys it and reviews, however bad they are, are always appreciated. I'll never get any better if you guys don't help me.

And we all know, I don't own these characters, they belong to talented mind of J.J Abrams and writers of Alias.

So here we go…

Previously on Alias…

Will and Francie sat nervously in the living room, staring at one another for the answer.

Francie searched for anything to say. "Okay, okay, what if she met somebody on one of her business trips?"

"Yeah, but why would she keep that a secret?" Will replied. Sydney doesn't lie, this doesn't make any sense.

"Maybe she doesn't want to talk about it. She's embarrassed by it."

"Oh, come on, why?"

Will stared at Francie again when he knew she had thought of something.

"What?"

Francie tensed as she divulged her theory. "The bruise. What if he's beating her?"

Will almost laughed out loud. "Are you kidding me? Sydney would never put up with that."

_-_

_it can't be that cold, the ground is still warm to touch  
this place is so quiet, sensing that storm_

"Sydney? Vaughn?" His voice echoed off the empty walls. "Are you guys still here?"

Eric Weiss headed towards the kitchen and deposited two huge bags of Chinese food on the dining table.

"Guys? I brought Chinese food back with me if you guys are hungry."

_Weiss…_

He heard a small voice and headed towards the master bedroom at the end of the dark hall.

"Sydney?"

_Weiss…_

He knocked on the door. "Are you guys okay in there?"

_Weiss, help me._

"Sydney, is that you?" He tried the door and it was locked. "Sydney, it's locked. Is Vaughn in there with you? Are you guys okay?"

He got no reply. "You guys better not be screwing with me." He cringed as he remembered the time he walked in on Sydney and Vaughn in a rather compromising situation. "You guys better have clothes on when I walk in."

Weiss quickly picked the lock and pushed the door open. He shielded his eyes expecting some kind of practical joke. He looked up when he didn't hear anything. "Alright, what's the problem?"

A cold breeze blew through the room, he shivered. He couldn't see anything. He walked towards the window and pulled it shut."Okay guys, joke's over, I'm leaving." He headed towards the door,slipped and fell with a thud to the floor."What the hell?" He looked to his right and saw a pool of blood.

He jumped to his feet. "VAUGHN? SYDNEY?"

_Weiss._

He heard the small voice again. "Sydney? Where are you?" He spun around in the room searching. He saw her huddled in the corner. She was crying, banging her head lightly against the hard wall.

He didn't recognize her face. Her eye was swollen shut, her lip was sliced open and there was a large gash on her left cheek.

He rushed to her side. She was wrapped in a blood soaked sheet, trembling, staring blankly in front of her.

"Sydney, what happened? Where's Vaughn?"

She looked at him quizzically. "Vaughn?" She pushed him away, "Get away from me."

"No, Sydney, it's me, it's Weiss."

She smiled at his calming voice. "Weiss, you heard me."

"Of course, I did. Sydney, I need to get you some help. Can you move?"

"No, everything hurts."

"Well, I'm going to carry you over to the bed and help you change."

He struggled to pull her intohis arms. She pushed him away when he touched her. "Don't touch me, I don't want you to touch me."

He wrapped her in his arms and placed her on the bed. He tried to unravel her from the sheet. "No, Weiss, I don't want you to see me like this."

"I have to Sydney. I want to help you." He smiled at her. "You'll be fine."

She was dressed in a small tank top and underwear. Her whole body was covered in cuts and bruises. Large welts and gashes seeped blood. He ran to the bathroom grabbing antiseptic, bandages, and towels anything he could get his hands on. She was slipping away from him, gasping for air. "I'm going to take you to the hospital, Syd. Just stay with me a little longer."

She started thrashing around in the bed. "Stay away from me! Please don't hurt me anymore!"

He stared at her, who had been hurting her so much? He frowned at the thought. He enveloped her in a blanket and pulled her into his arms.

He started through the dark hallway, clutching Sydney close to his body.

He heard a voice as he was opening the door and spun around on his heel.

"Drop her."

"Who is that? Stay the hell away from us."

Sydney stirred in his arms and put her arms around Weiss' neck. "He's back…"

"Come on out, let me see who you are, you asshole," Weiss spat.

Weiss' stared where the voice had come from and a familiar face emerged from the shadows.

"Drop her, or I'll shoot you both. Although dying might be better for her." He laughed.

"What the hell are you talking about man? She was attacked. We need to take her to the hospital."

"I'm serious, drop her right now."

"And I'm serious, if I drop her, another blow like that, it might kill her."

"Then you leave me no choice, Agent Weiss."

He lifted his gun a lone shot rang through the quiet apartment.

_red rain is coming down  
red rain  
red rain is pouring down  
pouring down all over me_


	2. Hurt You Now

I know I've said it before, but thanks to everyone for reading and commenting. It means so much and makes my day. I hope you enjoy this chapter and stick with the story, it's going to get really interesting. )

So a little timeline info you need to know, this part of the story picks up a few hours after Double Agent, and everyone knows what happened at the end of that episode. ) And if you don't you shouldn't call yourself an S/V fan. Also Francie is not a double.

And you know there are some things implied here and a little bit of bad language. PG-13 ish.

**Chaper 2 - Hurt You Now**

_Four months earlier_

Vaughn stirred out of his blissful sleep. He smiled when he realized where he was. He was in Sydney's apartment with her wrapped tightly in his arms. He untangled himself from her grasp and slipped out of the bed. He padded across the soft rug and into the bathroom.

Sydney watched as he quietly slipped into the bathroom. She smiled, trying to take in everything that happened. SD-6 was gone. She felt liberated and happy, the only thing keeping her from complete relief was the fact Arvin Sloane was still out there. She pushed the thoughts out of her mind. She wouldn't let him ruin this night.

Sydney heard a crash in the bathroom and bolted upright in the bed.

"Vaughn?" she called. "Are you alright?"

Vaughn walked out of the bathroom with a sheepish grin rubbing his knee.

He smiled, "I ran into the bath tub."

She laughed and wrapped herself up in the blanket. He climbed into bed beside her.

"This night was amazing," he smiled, leaned in and kissed her forehead. She nodded and smiled at him.

He pulled her into his arms and started kissing her neck. She covered them both with the blanket and laid down on the bed. They wrapped their arms around each other and she stared in his eyes.

"Your eyes look different." She stated stroking his cheek.

"Really? Maybe you just never really looked at them before."

"Oh, believe me. I used to stare, you never noticed. They look blue; it must just be the light." She smiled and nuzzled into him.

Vaughn pulled her closer towards him and start to stroke her lower back. He kissed her deeply, she pulled away and was met with his mischevious grin.

"You've got to be kidding me." She laughed. "Aren't you exhausted?"

"No, I've been waiting for this night for a long time, I don't want it to end."

"Well, I'm sorry but I need a little bit of sleep, it's 4am." She rolled over with her back towards him.

He slid towards her, slding his hands up and down his arms. "Come on, just one more time," he whispered. "I'll make it worth your wild."

She rolled over facing him, putting her forehead on his. "I don't think so."

"God Sydney, why are you rejecting me like this?"

"I can't believe you, you think I'm rejecting you, I'm just tired."

"Okay, Sydney, whatever. You frustrate me so much sometimes."

Sydney sat straight up in the bed. "So, first you want to go for another round and now you're not going to talk to me?"

Vaughn didn't answer her. "Really mature, Michael."

He sat up beside her, pulling her into his arms. "You make me so mad, I've been waiting for a year for this to happen and you don't even want to be with me again." He shook her violently and pushed her away.

She tried to grab on to anything to keep her from falling off the bed but she couldn't find anything and he wasn't paying attention. She crashed onto the floor hitting her head on the bedside table.

He laid back down in the bed, as she writhed on the floor.

"What the hell was that for?" she climbed back up on the bed wiping the blood off of her head.

"Sydney? What happened?" Vaughn sat up looking at her forehead concerned.

"What do you mean, how did that happen? You pushed off the fing bed." She pushed on the deep cut wincing in pain.

"Sydney, I've been asleep, you probably just fell." He frowned. "Let me see." He climbed over to her, looking at the deep gash on her forehead. She pulled away from him and looked at him confused. "Sydney," he grabbed her arm and turned her to face him, "I was sleeping, you fell off the bed. I'm going to go get some stuff out of the bathroom. Wait right here."

He slid off the bed and walked into the bathroom. He stared at himself in the mirror, piercing blue eyes stared back at him.

Sydney allowed him to clean his cut, pulling away from him, and each time he pulled her closer.

He helped her get comfortable in the bed and wrapped his arms around her. She waited until he was snoring and slipped out of his arms. She lay down on her side and quiet sobs started to wrack her body. Vaughn snored quietly but if you looked closely a small smile was forming on his lips.

_they tell you that this rain can sting, and look down  
there is no blood around see no sign of pain  
hey, no pain  
seeing no red at all, see no rain_


	3. No More Denial

So guys, here's another chapter. I know that last time I said I owuldn't take so long to post another chapter I obviously lied but I just couldn't get my ideas down. ) But here they are. I have a few things to say though.

First off, thanks again for reading. It means so much.

Secondly, this chapter is really long. Sorry for that, this one chapter is longer than the other two combined. Oh well, I hope it keeps your guys' interest for the whole time.

Thirdly, this part of the story, is kind of intense and "raw". I can't really write raw stuff but this is as close as it gets for me. It's got language and some stuff that might make some people uncomfortable. It's not like inappropriate I don't think but you know, just wanted to warn everyone. And if some parts confuse you, well for the most part that's good. I want to keep you guessing for a little bit.

So, please read and review and if you want add me on MSN, I really need some Alias friends. )

Erica

"_Sydney" he called groggily._

"_Sydney? Are you there?" He reached out in the darkness. He blinked and tried to adjust to the darkness but it didn't help. He stumbled through the dark room, searching. Searching for her._

"_Sydney!" He became frantic." I know you're here! Please come back."_

"_I'm here," she responded,"Vaughn I'm in the corner."_

_He got down on his hands and knees and crawled around the room. "Keep talking so I can follow your voice."_

"_I'm over here." _

_He finally found her cowering in the corner. "What are you scared of?"_

"_I'm scared of you." She replied her eyes full of fear and pain._

"_Why are you scared of me?" He took her in his arms, and leaned back on the hard wall._

_She reached up to his face and started stroking his rough cheek, "I missed you."_

_He smiled and closed his eyes a small tear sliding down his cheek._

_When he looked down, she was gone and he heard a voice. It was the same voice he had heard for weeks. A smooth voice, he couldn't figure out the accent, it was different and it grated on his nerves. He had never really seen her, she kept herself concealed in the darkness but suddenly she was in face, her blonde hair framing her features. She leaned in closer, "You're going to kill her." She whispered._

_She was so close, "No I won't," he yelled slapping her hard across the face._

_She stood up slowly, kicking him hard in the stomach. She stalked out of the barren room, leaving him, "You'd be surprised what you'll do under certain circumstances."_

"_SYDNEY!" _

_-_

Weeks passed, weeks of ridiculous excuses and lots of make up. Weeks of I ran into somebody in the hallway, I slipped in the bathroom and I tripped on the rug. Sydney herself was beginning to believe her ridiculous excuses. Almost every morning she would wake up almost unable to move and she would start fabricating excuses in her head. The stories she made seemed to cloud what had actually happened because she knew herself this fiction was easier to deal with than her reality.

She worked with some of the smartest and perceptive people in the world, her father, Weiss, even Marshall, and they weren't catching on. She hoped they would so she wouldn't have to tell them herself. She didn't want to say the words. My boyfriend beats me, even thinking about it made her sick.

She was so wrapped up in her thoughts, she jumped out of her chair yelping in pain when her father came behind her and patted her back.

"_Vaughn, I'm here!" She yelled up the stairs, hoping he was sober and calm. _

"_Where have you been?" He asked not getting up from the couch, wrapped up in his hockey game._

"_I was working late with that guy Dan at the office, we stopped for a bite to eat on the way home." She cringed, she probably should have lied, she could already it wasn't going to be a good night._

"_Oh." He replied bluntly._

"_Sorry, I'm late. Did I miss anything?" She slid in beside him on the couch. _

"_The Kings are losing; it's not a good game."_

"_Oh, that's too bad." She looked around, there were more than a dozen empty beer bottles thrown around the room. There was an empty quart of rum on the table. She _

_sighed and looked at him._

"_So the game, really upset you, needed to drown in your sorrows?" She asked picking up the last shot of rum on the table._

"_No,Sydney you made me do this." He replied grabbing the shot from her and throwing it back._

"_What were you thinking, Dan's an idiot, all he wants to do is get you into bed." _

"_Vaughn, come on, he's just a friend."_

"_Yeah right, I bet you want the same thing from him," he scoffed stumbling into the kitchen._

"_Vaughn, what do you mean?" she asked following him into the kitchen._

"_I mean," he rushed over to her pushing her hard into the wall. "That all you are is a cheap slut." He was so close to her, pinning her against the wall. _

_She squeezed her eyes shut. She could smell his rancid breath. She started to cry. This is all my fault, this is all my fault, this is all my fault. She couldn't stop crying, sobs started to wrack her body and she felt herself slipping, she slid onto the floor, reduced to an uncontrollable woman._

_He sat down beside her, "Look at me." She wouldn't look up, he pulled her head up. "Are you sad because he rejected you, didn't want to take you in the back of his car? Thought you were too ugly, too beaten and bruised?"_

_She stood up and looked at him, her anger flared and she slapped him across the face._

"_What would you do? What would you do if I was just a cheap slut?" She asked. "You're wrong, he didn't reject me, I had sex with Dan in the back of your car, in your parking lot, and right beside your apartment. I'm surprised you didn't hear us, what do you think of that you asshole?" She lied and regretted it immediately. _

_He punched her hard in the face and she stumbled backwards. "You whore."_

_He grabbed her hand and pulled her into the bedroom, "You're going to learn your lesson, you'll never do anything like that again."_

_She trembled as he walked over to his dresser. He grabbed a belt and grinned. He stalked back over to her. He leaned in and whispered in her ear. "Take off your shirt and lay down on your stomach."_

"_No," her lip was quivering, the tears threatening to spill over onto her cheeks again. "Let's just go to bed, I can't let you do this to me. I was just joking earlier."_

"_Just shut up and do what I say, bitch."_

_She climbed onto his bed, a place where about two months ago she would have given anything to be. Now she was scared._

_He stood beside her, stroking her hair, "Its fine, you just need to learn your lesson."_

_He brought the belt high above his head and the whip shattered the silence of the room. _

_She howled in pain, screaming so loud she thought she would wake the neighbors. She thought for sure he was done. One was enough, she had learned her lesson. But then it happened again, and again, and again. She lost count and started slipping in and out of the blackness. She cried and yelled at him to stop. He was laughing and yelling at her. She couldn't take it anymore, and she slipped into unconsciousness._

_Vaughn shook her gently. "Sydney?" he was crying. "Sydney, please wake up." _

_She squirmed and opened her eyes. Her back felt like it was on fire. She rolled over and realized that was probably the worst idea. Vaughn lifted her off the blood stained sheets and carried her to the living room, placing her down gently on the couch. He knelt down beside her, stroking her hair._

"_Oh god, Sydney, what did I do to you?"_

_Did she hear him right? Was he actually admitting to doing this to her? No denial tonight, there really wasn't an excuse that would explain this. _

_He leaned over and kissed between the welts, his salty tears stung the deep cuts. _

"_Is it bad?" She whispered. _

_He lay down beside her, he nodded his head. "I should take you to the hospital." _

"_No, I'll be fine; I'll just take a few days off. Don't worry, they'll heal fine."_

_He nodded again and kissed her lightly. _

"_Sydney, I don't know what to say. I just love you so much, and I know some other guy could just come and take you away." _

"_There's no guy who could take me away from you." She smiled at him. "You don't have to beat me to keep me with you, I won't leave."_

"_Sydney, I thought you were dead." He was crying, tears streaming down his face. "You weren't moving, you stopped breathing, I was so scared. I'm so sorry."_

_She smiled and leaned over to kiss him. "I'm fine, look I'm still alive. You don't have to apologize."_

"_Yes, I do Sydney, I'm so sorry. I promise I will never lay a hand on you again."_

Her father stared at her in shock. "Sydney?"

She smiled sheepishly at him, "Sorry, I was daydreaming."

"Oh, I'm sorry I scared you. You're feeling better?"

"Yeah, I'm feeling fine." She nodded and her father leaned over and hugged her awkwardly.

Vaughn walked up behind him, rolling his eyes. "Thanks, Dad." She smiled as he walked away.

"Well, I don't think I've ever seen your father hug you before." Vaughn leaned on her desk as Sydney sat back down in her chair. She winced in pain as she got comfortable.

"How's your back?"

"It's better," she faked a smile. He shouldn't have to worry about it anymore. It had been a week since he laid a hand on her. He never even raised his hand to threaten her.

"This man, Aidan Champlain, is in possession of somewhat of an instruction manual, this manual decodes and explains certain pages of the Rambaldi manuscript that no one has been unable to recover or decipher." Kendall explained, Sydney's mind wander, the pain in her back plus the upcoming weekend had her distracted.

Vaughn stared at her from across the table, it was ridiculous to expect him to be able to concentrate when she was here.

Kendall cleared his throat rudely and shook Sydney and Vaughn out of their trances. "This is fairly important."

Sydney felt heat rush to her cheeks and she grinned. "Sorry."

"Now, as far as our intel shows the manuscript is located in this house in Montreal, Quebec. Agents Vaughn and Bristow, you'll be going in, we're unsure of the mission at this moment but we'll have more information on Monday morning. I just wanted you to prepare over the weekend. You'll leave late Monday night. Perhaps you'll find yourselves able to concentrate easier at that time." Vaughn's head snapped up.

Kendal started again, "Sydney, Vaughn, I'm sure you'd be happy to know that your work here for the day is done, please have a relaxing, restful weekend. We'll need you up to full strength on Monday."

"Vaughn, what's going on?" She asked as he led her down the hallway. He pushed the bathroom door open.

The bathroom had rose petals scattered everywhere, candles illuminated the whole room and there was a bubble bath waiting for her.

He smiled at her, "You like?"

"It's perfect," she sighed. He leaned over and kissed her. The kiss grew deeper and deeper until he stopped, gasping. "Sometimes, I forget how amazing that actually feels."

He planted kisses down her neck, lifting her shirt over her head. He spun her around staring at her mangled back. He fingered the deep cuts and kissed them gently. She winced at first and then relaxed against his touch.

He continued to undress her slowly and finally lifted her gently and slid her into the bath tub.

"You are perfect," he whispered into her ear, kissing her again.

"Aren't you going to join me?" She asked, smiling.

"Hmm, well I was going to go and make you supper, but if you insist." He undressed himself quickly and slid in behind her.

She sighed and leaned against him, "You're incredible."

"Well, thank you, Miss Bristow."

She took his hand in her, intertwining her fingers with his. They couldn't avoid the subject forever. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Anything." He started planting kisses along her collarbone.

"Why did you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Why did you hurt me?"

"I never hurt you."

He looked at her, surprised, a confused look plastered across his face. "What are you talking about, Syd?"

She turned around to face him, "Why did you beat me?" She choked on her words.

"Sydney, I never hurt you."

She stared at him speechless. He climbed out of the bath tub and dried himself off, pulling on a pair of boxers. "I can't believe you would say something like that, I would never lay a hand on you."

"God, Vaughn why do you do this? You're confusing me. You admit it, and then you lie."

"Sydney, you're confusing me."

"Who did this Vaughn?" she asked standing up in the bath tub, pointing at her back.

"Sydney, the doctor said you would do this, you were attacked on a mission. It was traumatic. They beat you for days but I don't understand why you would blame me. Why Syd?"

She slid slowly back into the bathtub, it suddenly seemed cold and she shook violently. "Why do I blame you!" She yelled. "I blame you because you did it, you almost killed me and now you won't admit it."

He turned to her, his rage building. For weeks he held it back, when she made him angry he would just hold it in but now it was threatening to spill over. He got so close to her face their lips were almost touching. "You're fucking crazy."

He stalked out of the bathroom leaving her with her thoughts. Am I crazy? She asked herself a million times before she came out of the bathroom. He was waiting for her by the door.

"So…"

"So, I'm leaving." She spat in his face. "I'm leaving and I'm not coming back until you realize what you've done to me."

"You're not going anywhere!" He screamed raising his fist above his head.

"Vaughn! Don't! You promised, you said you wouldn't, you promised." She sat down on the bed, holding her head in her hands.

"I never promised you anything."

"Yes you did, and until you remember, I'm leaving." She pulled on a pair of sweat pants and a sweater.

"Sydney," he cried as she walked towards the door. "You need help, let me help you." She let him take her into his arms before she pushed him away.

"No, no, no, no! You're the one who needs help."

"Fine, leave, just wait and see if I ask you to come back." She pushed the door open, she looked back at him one last time and tripped down the small step.

She fell down hard on the concrete and started to pull her self up. Vaughn was standing there laughing. "Did I do that too?" He asked. "Did I hurt you again?"

She looked away, she felt weak, gripped the doorframe to keep her up. He smiled and slammed the door hard on her hand. She screamed and sunk to the floor. Her hand was still jammed in the door. She banged on the door with tears streaming down her face. "VAUGHN!" He opened the door and before she got the chance he slammed it hard again. She convulsed in pain on the door step. He opened the door once more and kicked her hand out of the door jam.

"You're the one who needs the help."

She curled up in a tight ball on the stone, sobbing quietly, cradling her bloody hand.

She heard a car door slam but she didn't even look up. She hoped someone would see her and help her because she certainly couldn't help herself.

The person was coming towards her, and whoever it was broke it into a light job across the lawn.

"Sydney?"

She recognized the voice immediately. She sat up slowly and saw him through her teary eyes.

"Will…"she stared but started sobbing before she got anything out.

"Sydney! What happened?" He sat down beside her pulling her whole body into his comforting arms. She cried until there weren't any tears left. She didn't know how long it had been. He looked at her with his beautiful blue eyes full of tears. He didn't even know what had happened and he was crying with her.

"Happy Birthday, Syd."

_And I can't watch any more  
No more denial  
It's so __hard__ to lay down in all of this  
Red rain is coming down_


	4. Now Comes The Night

Ah, a new chapter. Yay. So this chapter, makes you feel like some questions were answered but the next one... well you'll just have to wait and see.So nothing really to say about this one except enjoy. Wait I take that back, lyrics are from Rob Thomas' Now Comes The Night.

Enjoy.

_putting the pressure on much harder now_

_to return again and again_

_just let the red rain splash you_

_let the rain fall on your skin_

Sydney was in Vaughn's apartment again. She always came back, she always came crawling back. He leaned casually against the wall in the kitchen. Vaughn laughed at her as she cowered in the corner.

"Please don't hurt me." She pleaded.

"Sydney, it's your fault. You do these stupid things you make me crazy and the only thing that makes me sane again is to hurt you."

"But, I don't mean to make you mad."

"Well you just can't seem to help it, you do it over and over and over and over… I think you get the point." He pulled the kitchen drawer openly pulling out a long sharp knife.

She shook her head as he started walking.

"When you tell me that I'm crazy, that I need help, it just pushes me over the edge."

"Let's just talk about it."

"Sydney, I don't want to talk about it. Everything about you makes me angry, those annoying dimples, the way you always smile at me, your friends, how much you cry. So I think now is the perfect opportunity to save myself from all this frustration."

She felt herself backing away from him. Her foot slipped on the stair and tumbled down a small set of stairs. He ran down towards her. She got up to her feet and tried to run but he pulled her back to him. The cool blade slid effortlessly into her stomach. He shoved it deeper into her stomach watching her face contort in pain.

"I'm so relieved." He slid down to the floor with her body in his arms. He stroked her hair as Sydney felt herself bleed to death in her lover's arms.

"_I think I went a little overboard." He winced, he knew he went overboard._

"_YOU WHAT!" She yelled in the phone._

"_It was such a perfect opportunity to hurt her again."_

"_You couldn't wait until Monday."_

"_No, you don't understand how perfect it was, beautiful. She's so screwed up right now. I think she's starting to think she's crazy."_

"_She better be able to come on the mission."_

"_Of course, I'll get her back."_

"_Perfect," she replied. "You're going to have to regain her trust somehow."_

"_I will, I can do this." _

"_Alright, see you soon, love."_

_-_

She sat up quickly on the couch. She felt the tears streaming down her face. Sydney checked her stomach, there was no blood. She was confused, and then it all came back, the fight with Vaughn, Will, the hospital, her broken hand, the birthday party. She smiled as she looked around at the half eaten birthday cake, the streamers and balloons in the room, and the credits on the tv from the movie none of them had lasted through.

Sydney whimpered as she stood up from the couch. Her body ached all over, she slowly made her way to the kitchen and swallowed a couple of pills. She jumped when she heard someone moving behind her.

"Syd, it's just me." Will gave her a little smile as he pulled the fridge open.

She felt different talking to him now. He knew all her secrets. She had told them both everything. Francie and Will, what a birthday party, she sat sobbing for hours telling them everything about the past few months. They stared dumbfounded and surprised as she stumbled through abusive stories and weak moments. After she finished her rant, they simply stared, their mouths wide open, gawking at her. She felt awkward but relieved.

"I have a question for you," he plopped down at the kitchen table. He took her good hand in his.

"Anything, I think." She said.

"Why did you stay with him?"

"I love him, Will. I love him so much it scares me. It took him almost killing me to realize that there was something wrong. Each time he would hurt me, I thought I deserved it. That's why I never fought back. Then I realized I never did anything wrong, it was him. It was always him thinking of ridiculous excuses to hurt me. Even then, not being with him scared me more than being with him. I can't explain it to you, you can't understand you just have to take my word that he always redeemed himself."

"You're right, I don't understand. Sydney look at me," he pulled her face so she was looking at him. "You are too good for him, anyone that would hurt you like that doesn't deserve you."

"He needs my help, Will. He can get help and then he'll be fine. We'll be fine."

"No, Sydney, you don't know that. He might never be alright, he could go too far next time. He won't stop beating you and you'll be gone. I don't know if I could live with myself if anything happens to you."

"You don't have to protect me, Will. That's not what I want you to do. I just wanted you to know, I needed to talk about it. You can't tell me what to do."

"I'm not trying to tell you what to do. I want you to know the truth. I just want to protect you. You are still so in love with him you can't see it."

"He wouldn't kill me, Will. He would never go that far." She pushed herself out from the table grabbing her jacket.

"Syd, don't leave."

"Will, I have to. I need to talk to him."

"Sydney, I'm scared that if you leave now, the next time I'll see you will be in a coroner's office. You'll be so mangled no one will recognize you except us." He walked over to her holding the door close. "Please, stay."

He pulled her into his embrace, she pounded his chest. "Let me go." He let her out of his arms hesitantly. Their eyes locked and she just started. "He won't hurt me, I won't let him. I just need to talk." And with that the door slammed and she disappeared into the night.

She realized when she tried to pull her car out of the driveway that she wouldn't be able to drive with a broken hand. She fumbled with her cellphone, which proved to be just as difficult. She called a cab and sat down on the curb. She checked the voicemail on her phone. The voice was small but it was definitely his. "Sydney, meet me where we can always talk." She braced herself as she the cab pulled up to her. She slid in and headed for the pier.

Sydney saw Vaughn sitting on the pier waiting for her before she got out of the cab. She heard the crashing of the waves; they were the only people there. She walked up to the bench and sat down cautiously beside him. She shook, she was terrified but she grinned when she noticed the small velvet box beside her.

"I didn't forget." He stated quietly, he looked straight ahead staring at the water.

She pulled the box open and looked at a pair of diamond earrings.

"They're beautiful."

"Francie helped me pick them out; I had the perfect night planned out. I was supposed to get you all ready. Will was going to come and you guys were going to go out. After a couple of hours you were supposed to come back, we were going to have a romantic dinner. But then…"

She shivered pulling her the sweater closer to her body, but the wind wasn't making her cold.

"Vaughn, we have to talk."

He brought his finger to his lips.

"Sh…Sydney, just listen."

"I have a problem, I fell in love with a woman, the perfect woman. That's obviously not the problem."

_When the hour is upon us _

_And our beauty surely gone_

Sydney smiled, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. Vaughn didn't look over, he just stared at the crashing waves.

"The problem is that I am so in love with this woman that for the most ridiculous reasons I just become crazy. It's this intense rage and jealousy. I love her so much, I can't imagine her leaving me, I can't imagine life without her. I can't believe I'm saying this but I beat her beautiful face, I ruined her perfect body I was just so scared. I was scared that she would leave me and I don't know what I would do without her."

_And when the day has all but ended_

_And our echo starts to fade_

_No you will not be alone then_

_And you will not be afraid_

"I wasn't sure if this woman I loved so much loved me back the same way. I scared her though, I scarred her. I would wake up in the middle of the night; I would hear her crying in the middle of night, bleeding and bruised in the bathroom. I couldn't deal with the fact I hurt her so much."

_When the fog has finally lifted _

_From my cold and tired brow_

_No I will not leave you crying_

"So I started making up stories. I would push my violent nights to the back of my head and I would make up stories that would take their place. When she would make up excuses for her bruises I would believe them and think that's actually what happened."

"I remember this one time when she told her dad that someone elbowed her in the face by mistake in a crowded subway. I made a memory out of that, I remembered when she came home and I gave her an ice pack to put on her swollen eye. That's not what happened. She came home late one night from a movie with her best friend. I punched her in the face. But I still made that memory and that scares me."

"Tonight, she confronted me, she told me I hurt her and I never admitted it. And she left, for awhile I was enraged, I trashed the apartment. I wouldn't let myself believe that. Then I sat down and I let all come back. I was sick, I made myself sick. I remember everything."

_Now comes the night_

_Feel it fading away_

_And the soul underneath_

_Is it all that remains?_

_So just slide over here_

_Leave your fear in the fray_

"Sydney," he turned towards her. "I can't tell you how sorry I am; I can't put it into words. I just hope that you can find it in yourself to stay with me, I know there's something wrong with me, I know that I can't get through this by myself."

"Of course, I'll stay with you." She put her hand on his cheek. "I love you."

Vaughn lay down on the small bench, putting his head in Sydney's lap. She sighed, a wave of relief washed over her. She put her arms around him, for the first time, she comforted him.

"I love you, Sydney." He whispered. She leaned over to kiss his forehead.

And they cried.

_Let us hold to each other till the end of our days_

The end?

Just kidding! Please review! So anyone have theories about what's going to happen next because I've still got a lot up my sleeve. And I just realized after I put Rob Thomas' credits, the lyrics and minor inspiration for the story are from Red Rain By Peter Gabriel. If you decide to download the song download the live version with Natalie Merchant and Michael Stipe. Most fantastic song ever. ) So anyway, thanks for reading.

-Erica


	5. No Pain At All

So here I am again. After weeks of little to no inspiration I just sat down on wrote quickly realizing I really suck at writing missions. So lack of mission writing, just pretend it happened and you know made sense when you get there. So this chapter although it may not seem it at the beginning is very important in the grand scheme of things. You'll start to understand the story a lot more at the end of this chapter, it packs quite the punch. So thanks so much for reading please review and enjoy.

Erica

_there is no blood around see no __sign__ of pain_

_no pain_

_seeing no red at all, see no rain_

Sydney moaned as she opened one eye to the harsh light pouring through the open curtains. She threw her arm over the other side of the bed to find it empty and as she became aware of her surroundings she heard the shower in the small bathroom.

She closed her eyes for another minute trying to absorb everything. It was too much to think of when she had just woken up. It could wait.

Vaughn stood in front of the mirror, humming when he looked up and saw Sydney leaning against the doorframe.

"Hey," she smiled. He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

"Well hello there beautiful. Quite the outfit." He commented on the sheet she had wrapped herself in.

"Right back at you." She replied and pointed at his towel.

"Yeah, but I can see right through yours."

"You're gross."

"Yeah, but you love me." He wrapped his arms around her.

Sydney sighed and relaxed in his embrace. "Yeah, I do. Where are you going so early?"

He laughed and pointed at the clock. "It's 1 'o clock. I actually woke up and made you breakfast but you looked so beautiful I couldn't wake you."

She grinned. "What can I say? I was tired."

"Well, I better get going."

Sydney frowned as she followed him into the living room. "Where are you going?"

"I called Barnett this morning, asked her if I could talk to her. You know just for an hour or so. I just need to tell someone else. It will make it more real."

Sydney smiled when she realized that maybe her nightmare was finally over.

-

Vaughn walked briskly down the front steps of his apartment pulling the cell phone from his pocket. He punched in the familiar numbers and waited for an answer.

"_I forget sometimes, why are we keeping him alive?"_

"_Well good afternoon to you too. Well I figured I should give you a purpose in this."_

"_Excuse me? Give me a purpose? You don't think I'm important in this plan."_

"_Of course you are, you look after him."_

"_I don't think I would call this looking after him."_

"_Right, well kill him if you can't remember why you're keeping him alive."_

"_I'm actually kind of growing fond of him."_

"_Really?"_

"_Fond in a way that I would love to stab him. I'm not smitten with him like you are with Miss Bristow."_

"_I'm just playing the part."_

"_Right, you're just keeping up appearances. I'm sure you didn't get any pleasure from last night at all."_

"_None at all. We're on track for Monday?."_

"_No thanks to you."_

"_You are the mastermind, I'm sorry."_

"_You better be."_

"_I'll see you soon."_

"_Not if I see you first, love."_

-

Jack Bristow frowned as he watched his daughter come in with her boyfriend. Her right arm was in a sling supporting a broken hand. He sighed realizing that everything Will Tippin had told him was true.

_Jack stood up quickly from his kitchen table and walked to his apartment door. He didn't get many visitors especially at this time. He was surprised when Will Tippin was the face that greeted him._

"_Jack, can I come in?" Will pushed past him._

"_Apparently. Will, how can I help you?" Jack closed the door slowly confused._

"_I was just wondering, well not really wondering. I need to tell you something." Will shifted nervously on his feet._

"_Mr.Tippin I would appreciate if you would be straight with me. And this better be important." Jack offered Will a seat._

"_I just need to know you won't tell Sydney I told you."_

"_I don't make promises."_

"_Vaughn… well he's uh…"_

"_He's what, Will?"_

"_Sydney, she's hurt."_

"_She's hurt? What's wrong? Where is she?" Jack reached for his jacket ready to leave._

"_No, sit down, it's not what you think. Vaughn's been hurting her. He's beating her, Mr.Bristow. It's been months. She needs help. She won't listen to me, but I thought maybe you…"_

"_And my daughter told you this?"_

"_Yes, last night. Vaughn and I had planned a night for her birthday. I was going to pick her up. She was on the front door step, she was crying, Jack. Her hand, it was,it didn't even look like a hand anymore. I took her to the hospital; she wouldn't let them keep her overnight. She was acting crazy; I've never seen her like this before. It scares me." Will went through the story quickly. _

_Jack simply nodded._

"_We talked, she told Francie and I everything."_

_Jack just stared at him. How could this have happened? How come he didn't notice? _

"_I know, it's too much. It doesn't seem real. Sydney just doesn't seem like a woman that would let this happen. She's so in love with him, she didn't even think there was anything wrong."_

_Jack swallowed the lump in his throat. When his daughter had needed him the most he hadn't even realized._

"_Thank you, Will." Jack showed Will to the door._

"_You'll take care of it?" Will asked hopefully._

_  
Jack simply nodded again. He closed the door behind Will, leaning against the wood he slid to the floor._

_For the first time, in a long time Jack Bristow cried._

-

Jack stared at her as she walked across the office. She laughed, she talked, she seemed unchanged. But how could she be so different? His Sydney wouldn't let this happen. He slid back into his chair. He hadn't been a good father, maybe that's why. He didn't know what to say, how to approach her. Jack's eyes bore into Vaughn as he strode by his desk.

That was when Jack realized that he didn't have to have an awkward conversation with Sydney, he knew the truth. All Jack had to do was deal with Michael Vaughn in the only way he knew how.

-

Sydney hurried along the hallway, she had finished reading over her new assignment. Kendall had decided to change the mission, putting Sydney on comms. She couldn't perform to the best of her ability in her condition. He had been angry but nothing could ruin Sydney's mood. Vaughn had talked to Barnett, and more importantly Sydney and Vaughn were making progress and that's all that Sydney needed. Sydney's mind was wandering when she bumped into the person passing by her.

"Agent Bristow, I'm sorry." Dr.Barnett apologized; stopping to make sure Sydney was okay.

"Dr.Barnett, I'm fine, don't worry about it." Sydney smiled. "I know you can't really talk about it but how is Agent Vaughn doing?"

"Agent Vaughn?"

"Yes. I know you can't say much but a simple good would be enough."

"Sydney, I haven't spoken to Agent Vaughn in months, I don't know what you're talking about."

-

This man was an amateur it makes you wonder how he came upon such an important piece of the Rambaldi puzzle. Vaughn and Weiss had gone in as TV repairmen, it seemed simple, too simple. Sydney sighed as she leaned back on the cold wall of the van. Why did he lie to her? Where did he go when he lied? She screamed, her world was falling apart again. There could be an explanation but she couldn't believe him again. Vaughn blasted into her ear.

"We've got the manuscript. Are we clear?"

Sydney rubbed her temples and checked the outside of the mansion. Champlain himself was outside by the pool. She stared at him for a minute, how had he gotten involved in this life of Rambaldi. She changed the view and that's when she saw them. There must have at least 10 men charging towards the house.

"Vaughn! Weiss! Get out of there!"

"Sydney? What's going on?"

"Just get out, now."

Sydney switched the view on her small monitor again as the men charged through the house. Aidan Champlain was standing by his pool smiling at the man in front of him. Sydney recognized the man she was talking to instantly. It was a face, she could never forget no matter how hard she tried. Arvin Sloane.

"Vaughn, it's Sloane. I'm coming in."

"No, Sydney." Vaughn screamed into her ear again. "We're fine, we'll find out what he wants."

"Vaughn, don't talk to me like that I'm coming." Sydney hauled the door of the van open.

"Sydney, now is not the time to be stubborn. Please, just get to the safe house. We'll find a way there."

"Vaughn, you've got to be kidding me. I'm not just going to leave."

Sydney hopped into the front seat of the cargo van and pushed her foot hard on the gas pedal. She barreled towards the backyard. The last thing she saw was Sloane's terrified face as she crashed into the water.

-

Sydney.

Sydney. Wake up.

Sydney. Can you hear me?

Sydney sat up quickly leaning over coughing hard.

"What happened?" She asked adjusting her eyes to the evening.

Vaughn pulled her into his arms. "You scared me."

"What happened, where's Sloane?" Sydney asked panicking. "I'm sorry; it seemed like a good idea at the time." Sydney said and pointed to the van in the pool.

"It's okay, you're okay. I'll tell you what happened just let me get you in the house."

Vaughn slipped his hands under Sydney and lifted her into his arms. He set her down gently on the couch and pulled up a chair beside her.

"Champlain and Sloane had a deal. He was going to sell Sloane the manuscript. Champlain's dad died when they were searching for the manuscript. That's why Champlain wanted out; he knows what happens in those lives." Sydney shivered and pulled the blanket around her.

"I don't know what I was thinking. I just knew I couldn't defend myself but I had to do something."

He ignored her statement and continued."Sloane saved you. When he saw us he jumped in the pool. He pulled you out of the van, he saved you."

"Why?"

"He ran after he pulled you out. He just shot Champlain and ran."

Sydney shook her head. "It's all my fault. Where's Weiss? Is he okay?"

"Weiss is fine. Sydney, none of this is your fault. Sloane would have killed him anyway. We're leaving soon, Weiss went to go and get one of Champlain's cars. We need to get out of here before Sloane sends more men to search the place."

Sydney slid over on the couch. "Come sit with me." She smiled as Vaughn plopped down beside her.She leaned over and kissed him lightly. "I should have listened to you."

"I know you should have but it's alright. Don't think about it anymore." She opened her mouth to protest but he silenced her with a kiss. The kiss grew more passionate until Sydney stopped, pulling away from him.

"Weiss, where's Weiss?" She asked breathlessly.

"Who cares." Vaughn replied kissing her again.

"Mr.Sark, don't you have any self control. I don't know if Miss Reed was angrier when you were beating Sydney to death or sleeping with her whenever you got the chance."

Sydney gasped at the sound of the voice. Vaughn stopped kissing her and stood up.

"Well I don't think that is any of your business, Arvin."

Sydney jumped up from the couch. "What the hell is going on?"

"You'll know soon enough."

Sydney opened her mouth to scream. All that came out was a whimper as she felt the cold metal and the small sting of a needle slide into her neck. Sloane grabbed her as he knees gave out.

As she slipped into the blackness, she stared up at their faces. The stony expressions of Michael Vaughn and Arvin Sloane were the last images etched in her memory as she gave in.

_red rain is coming down_

_red rain_

_red rain is pouring down_

_pouring down all over me_


	6. Green Eyes

Ah here I am again. And here you are again. Yay, another chapter. We're getting the end here folks. Another couple of chapters will probably do it. They are going to be some fun. I don't really have much to say about this chapter except there's a lot of talking. It didn't turn out exactly how I wanted but I'm done toying with it. The end of the chapter is a little confusing but you know when hasn't this story been confusing? Why change it now? Hope you guys enjoy it and thanks for all your replies. It means a lot.

Erica

Vaughn pulled Sydney closer into his arms as her eyes started to flutter open. She stared wide eyed at her surroundings. She felt the warmth of his body against hers and tried to push him away.

"Don't fight it, Sydney. They injected you with a neurotoxin it's just starting to wear off now. If you fight it you'll regret it. Your body will be so sore you'll curse yourself for a week."

Sydney didn't listen, he could feel her trying to move her arms and legs. He kept his firm grip. "Just stop. I know what it feels like but just stay still."

She still tried. She stopped after a half an hour of constant struggle. He had been injected with the same drug more times than he could count. Lauren would get bored of looking after him. She would inject him and leave for hours. He would struggle the whole time thinking he might have a chance of getting away. He made it worse for himself. This hell he lived in. He ran his hand through her long hair and stared in her eyes. He knew she couldn't speak. He took his opportunity.

"Sydney, I know you're confused. I know you hate me right now. I need to talk to you before they come back. I don't know how much time we have." Vaughn started stumbling over his words.

"They need you. Sloane and Sark, they need you. You're part of this fucking Rambaldi scheme. They took me from you. I've been sitting here for the past few hours just staring at you and I know how much I love you. You know that I love you?" Sydney was overwhelmed as she listened to his spiel. She didn't love this man; she didn't even know this man. She hated this man.

"No matter what happens, I love you…" He brushed his fingers across her face. She flinched at his touch, trying to pull back. "Please don't, I've been waiting for so long to see you again." She stared at him her eyes full of confusion. "You didn't know."

"It was never me." He started. "I've been gone for months Sydney. Do you remember the night, that first night we were together? When I went into the bathroom they came in the window. I turned around to see where the noise was coming from I saw myself." He shook his head.

"I was staring right at myself and there was no damn mirror there. They doubled me; I was the second person that they doubled." His voice was full of rage and his eyes flared with anger. "I don't know how. He knocked me out. I was caught off guard and then I woke up I was here. I've been here since then."

"She made me watch." He pointed at the small tv in the corner. "She made me watch everything he did to you. Everytime he hurt you I saw myself doing it. I couldn't believe it, it made me sick. It made me sick to think that that was happening to you and that I was the cause of all your problems." He shook his head in shame and a tear slipped down his cheek leaving a path through the caked on dirt.

"I talked to you a lot. I saw you a lot. I would crawl around in the darkness of this damn room trying to find you but you were never there. I thought I was going crazy, things like this just don't happen."

"Why do these things happen to us?" He leaned against the cold wall banging his head gently. "I was giving up. I would sit here and think of you. I would hear your voice and I would see you in the shadows. I heard her talking one day, the woman that kept me here, Lauren; she said that you were coming. When I knew I would see you again I couldn't believe it." He subconsciously rubbed her arms. "I can't explain how amazing it is to see you again."

"I never thought…"He could feel Sydney's body tense against his. "Are you okay?"

She shook her head violently. "It hurts."

"I know it hurts. I know but it will be okay."

Every muscle, every part of her body ached. The last numbing effects slipped away as struggled to sit up.

"I can't believe it." She sighed as the tears slid down her cheeks. "It was never you." Vaughn leaned down placing a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"I would never hurt you, Sydney. I love you so much."

She pushed away from him and crawled to the other side of the small cell. "It's almost ironic isn't it? The man who beat me said the exact same thing. It was always your face, always your voice. It was you, don't lie to me."

"Sydney, don't push me away. Let me try and explain everything."

"I don't know how to deal with this. It was always you." She cringed as she pulled her knees to her chest rocking back and forth in the corner.

What if he was telling the truth? What if this man was actually Vaughn and the man she had spent the last 4 months with was Sark? It seemed impossible but every time she thought she had seen the worse or the most unbelievable. The tears were streaming down her cheeks. She couldn't deal with this.

She tensed as she heard loud foot steps coming down the hallway. He rushed over to her side.

"Sydney, I don't care if you don't believe me. It's hard but listen to me before they come." She looked up into his eyes and she knew. They were his eyes, the unmistakable green she would stare at for hours. She smiled and stared in them again, those eyes she hadn't seen for months.

"I think I believe you." She replied. He cradled her face in his hands wiping her tears away with his thumbs.

"Whatever happens Sydney, don't let them break you. Don't give in. They need you for this sick plan, whatever happens, whatever they say they'll do to me, I can deal with this. You can get out of here, I promise. I'll get you out of here."

"You know I don't break." She smiled. "We'll get out of here."

The door flew open. A young blond woman barged into the room. She pulled Vaughn to his feet. "I told you not to talk to her." She yelled in his face and pushed him onto the ground.

She yanked Sydney's head back. "Mr. Sloane is waiting for you." Sydney stood slowly, stumbling around the cell crying out in pain as she tried to find her footing. "I'll help her." Vaughn stood, scooping Sydney into his arms.

Lauren shook her head as he led Vaughn down the hallway. "They say she's the best, I don't believe them. She's a wreck."

-

"Sydney." Sloane stroked her hair. "I'm sorry you're in so much pain. We had to take some precautionary measure. We all know how you can over react sometimes."

"Over react? You've got to be kidding me. I'm a prisoner." She yelled.

"I would hardly say that you're a prisoner. It's your own fault I have to keep you this way. If you would co operate you could be very comfortable." Sloane replied calmly.

"I'm rather comfortable." Sydney stated cringing as a wave of pain ripped through her side.

Sloane smiled. "You don't have to lie to me."

"Sydney I know you are aware of my interest in the world of Rambaldi. When I began this journey I knew we would come together again. You're in his prophecy you know? He writes about you. He wrote things that scare even me; I won't tell you what he says you'll do."

"Aidan Champlain was just a playing card. He had what I needed. I have it now. I have men that are deciphering everything that book said right now. When it's done, Sydney, I'll know what to do and I'll be one step closer." Sydney shuddered at the look on his face. She refused to be any help to this man.

The door creaked open. A man came in from the hallway. It was Vaughn. She didn't know anymore. Who was it this time? "Mr. Sloane… I see we have company. Hello love."

"I sense that Agent Vaughn may have told you what's been going on. You can believe every word of it Sydney."

Sydney shook her head again. She wouldn't humor him by crying and yelling at him. That's what he wanted. He wanted to hurt her more than he already had. She stared at the ground. He tugged at her hair and lifted her head up. He kissed her hard. She pushed him away with all the strength she could muster. He gave her a huge smile and turned on his heel. "I'll miss that."

"Please, Mr.Sark. This isn't a game." Sloane gave him a harsh look as he headed for the door.

"Arvin, we have to talk when you're done here."

Sloane's eyes bore into her. "Sydney you don't know what you're capable of and I hope that I can help you realize that power. I'll help you. He would want you to."

She screamed loud pushing her hands against her ears blocking out his voice. Sloane emerged from his chair swiftly. He walked over to Sydney taking her hands from her ears. I placed his hand over her mouth gently. "This is how it's supposed to be."

He exited the room quickly leaving Sydney with her own thoughts. She didn't know how long she sat there in shock. She laid down on the stiff bed as the tears streamed down her face.

-

The sound of a gunshot is unmistakable. Sydney bolted up right in the small bed and cursed herself as she doubled over in pain. Her muscles still ached as a man rushed into her room. It was dark but she would recognize the figure anywhere.

"Sydney, get out!" The voice came from the hallway.

Vaughn stumbled around the room. Vaughn emerged from the hallway. Sydney stood up slowly as another gunshot ripped through the room. Vaughn fell to his knees in front of her, the blood was pouring from his side. He slid to the floor. She jumped over his body. "Sydney, we have to move fast. The guards are coming."

Sydney jumped over the writhing body. A hand reached up grabbing her ankle. "Sydney…" he gasped breathing hard. "Don't…"

She kicked away his hand and grabbed Vaughn's hand as he bolted of the door. "We're going to get out of here." She smiled as they weaved through the tiny hallways.

Lauren ran out of one of the rooms. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" She yelled pulling out her gun. Vaughn was too quick for her. She fell to her knees blood spilling from her chest.

They busted through the door and she took a deep breath of the fresh air. She collapsed into Vaughn's arms and he covered her face with gentle kisses. "We've got to be quick. We'll go to the safe house. We're going to be fine." He pulled her into his arms not wanting to let her go now that he had her again.

The warehouse emptied quickly after the gunshots. Sloane couldn't be caught anywhere by anyone. Sloane and his men abandoned the warehouse without a thought.

A young man lay on the floor pushing hard on the deep gun shot wound. He hallucinated as his blood spilled on to the floor. He saw her face, the dimples, the soft brown eyes, he could smell her hair. He talked to her as he slipped into the darkness. He gasped for breath. Sobs wracked his weak body. Those unmistakable green eyes took one last look at their surroundings and slowly closed.

_pouring down all over me_

_it's so hard to lay down in all of this_

_red rain is coming down_

_-_

Thanks for reading. Please review but don't kill me. ) I'll think about fixing it, I promise.

Erica


	7. Falling Into Place

She stared at the small stick sitting on the bathroom counter for a long time. In fact she didn't know how long she stared at it. How could this small stick change her life?

She hadn't seen him the past week. He had completely submerged himself into work. He was trying to find out everything he could about Rambaldi. Rambaldi didn't seem very important to her right now.

It seemed ridiculous that it hadn't been him. All the time that they had been together it wasn't him. She wasn't sure if it was a relief. It certainly wasn't a relieving feeling now. The man she had been with, the man she had slept with, the man she had shared secrets with, the man she had trusted, it was always Sark.

She heaved again and grasped the toilet bowl for support. She slid into a crumpled heap of tears on the floor of the bathroom. She sobbed because this child inside of her wasn't Michael Vaughn's.

-

"Bristow."

"Agent Bristow, this is Jean Agnew from the Lennoxville Police Department."

"Yes, Mr.Agnew. How may I help you?"

"I need to see you in person."

"I'm not following you, sir."

"Well, I'm in the local hospital there's a man here. He claims he's an agent with the CIA and he wants to speak to you."

-

Michael Vaughn sped through the red light. She was going to know soon. He needed to make it home before they called. He pulled out his cell phone and flipped it open.

"Hello Arvin."

"Mr. Sark, I believe your cover has been blown." Sloane replied with a hint of laughter in his voice.

"Yes, thank you for letting me in on that piece of information."

"Now tell me how it's possible for this to happen when you had them so convinced."

"Your good friend, Jack Bristow."

"Well, Sydney is needed immediately. I'm willing to go along with your new deal. Double the original asking price, she is well worth it."

"It should be no problem."

He threw the cell phone on the passenger side and continued to speed toward her apartment.

-

He pulled the door open quickly. He called out hoping that Francie and Will weren't around. They would certainly complicate things. He smiled, there was no response. He heard the familiar ring of her cell phone. It vibrated on the kitchen counter. He walked over to it opening it gingerly and turning it off.

"Sydney?" he called. The apartment was dark.

"Vaughn. I'm in here." She cried out to him.

Did she know? He asked himself as he strode towards her bedroom.

She was perched on the side of the bed. There weren't any lights on but the moon shone brightly through the large window. She looked terrible. Her eyes were puffy and the tears that slid down her cheeks shone in the moonlight. He rushed over to her; he could still play this game.

"What's wrong?" He took her hand in his. She didn't answer him.

"Sydney? Tell me what's wrong." He sat down beside her on the bed pulling her closer to him.

She didn't answer him. She just stared. "Was Sloane here?" She shook her head slowly.

"Sydney, talk to me." She sobbed quietly in his arms. What the hell is going on?

"I-I…" she stammered in between sobs. "I'm…pregnant." She choked out the last word and erupted into hysterics.

He stood up quickly smiling. She stared at him. "Don't you understand?"

He laughed quietly. "I do understand, Sydney. It's my baby."

She shook her head violently. "NO, IT'S NOT!" She screamed.

"I don't think you understand, Sydney. That baby is mine."

She leaned back and closed her eyes. She had been an idiot to not realize it sooner. Everything slowly fell into place; how they escaped from the warehouse, why he had stayed away from her, why Kendall had called her 10 times in the last 15 minutes.

"Why?" she choked. She jumped up from the bed and began banging on his chest.

"Sydney, I simply needed more money. It was simply for business, love." He grabbed her by the shoulders shaking her. He kneed her hard in the stomach. She fell to the floor beside his feet. "Now that I have what I need, I need to finish my end of the deal. I'm an honest man." He laughed.

"Come on, Sydney. You could always put a better fight." He kicked her.

She stood up slowly regaining her balance. She shook her head, "I'm not going to let you win."

"You've got to be kidding me."

She felt another blow to her stomach first. She doubled over in pain.

"I thought you weren't going to let me win." He whispered in her ear jerking her head back to meet his gaze.

The rest was a blur. She could feel the pain, the searing pain overtaking her whole body. She fell into a heap in the corner of the room. She saw him walk out wiping her blood of his hands. She could hardly see out of her swelling eye and her head was spinning. She felt herself letting go. Maybe this was the end? That's when she heard Weiss.

-

Jack Bristow didn't waste any time as he sped down the road towards Sydney's apartment.

"_Agent Bristow, thank you for coming so quickly." Officer Agnew spoke with a light French accent. The young man showed Jack through the door._

"_Thank you for calling me." _

_Jack walked briskly down the white corridor of the hospital. _

"_I can imagine you're wondering how Agent Vaughn got to this hospital." Jack nodded._

"_I can explain, I'm the one who found him. Lennoxville is a pretty small place as you can see. I was on duty and it was a Saturday night, I remember."_

"_There is an abandoned warehouse set off the road not too far from the hospital. I was driving by just to make sure there were no kids around there when I heard gun shots. I drove up as quickly as I could but by the time I got there it looked like it had been abandoned again."_

"_I really had no idea what was going on. I called back up. We were searching the building. I didn't think we would come up with anything and that's when I found Agent Vaughn. He was passed out, white as a ghost. I thought for sure he was dead when I saw the pool of blood he was lying in. The paramedics came up right away."_

"_We have some of the best doctors here in Lennoxville. They saved his life."_

"_You saved his life, if you hadn't of found him when you did I can't imagine what would have happened."_

_The young officer smiled broadly. "Well thank you, sir. This is his room here. He's doing much better."_

_Jack Bristow stepped out of the hallway into the hospital room. Michael Vaughn stared at him from the bed. "Where's Sydney?"_

_-_

"Sydney? Vaughn?" His voice echoed off the empty walls. "Are you guys still here?"

Eric Weiss headed towards the kitchen and deposited two huge bags of Chinese food on the dining table.

"Guys? I brought Chinese if you guys are hungry."

_Weiss…_

He heard a small voice and headed towards the master bedroom at the end of the dark hall.

"Sydney?"

_Weiss…_

He knocked on the door. "Are you guys okay in there?"

_Weiss, help me._

"Sydney, is that you?" He tried the door and it was locked. "Sydney, it's locked. Is Vaughn in there with you? Are you guys okay?"

He got no reply. "You guys better not be screwing with me." He cringed as he remembered the time he walked in on Sydney and Vaughn in a rather compromising situation. "You guys better have clothes on when I walk in."

Weiss quickly picked the lock and pushed the door open. He shielded his eyes expecting some kind of practical joke. He looked up when he didn't hear anything. "Alright, what's the problem?"

A cold breeze blew through the room, he shivered. He couldn't see anything. He walked towards the bed and he slipped falling to the floor with a thud. "What the hell?" He looked to his right and saw a pool of blood.

He jumped to his feet. "VAUGHN? SYDNEY?"

_Weiss._

He heard the small voice again. "Sydney? Where are you?" He spun around in the room searching. He saw her huddled in the corner. She was shaking, and he hardly recognized her.

He didn't recognize her face. Her eye was swollen shut, her lip was sliced open and there was a large gash on her left cheek.

He rushed to her side. She was wrapped in a blood soaked sheet, trembling, staring blankly in front of her.

"Sydney, what happened? Where's Vaughn?"

She looked at him quizzically. "Vaughn?" She pushed him away, "Get away from me."

"No, Sydney, it's me, it's Weiss."

She smiled at his calming voice. "Weiss, you heard me."

"Of course, I did. Sydney, I need to get you some help. Can you move?"

"No, everything hurts."

"Well, I'm going to carry you over to the bed and help you change."

He lifted her effortlessly and put her on the bed. He unwrapped her from the sheet and gasped. She was dressed in a small tank top and underwear. Her whole body was covered in cuts and bruises. Large welts and gashes seeped blood. He ran to the bathroom grabbing antiseptic, bandages, and towels anything he could get his hands on. She was slipping away from him, gasping for air. "I'm going to take you to the hospital, Syd. Just stay with me a little longer."

She started thrashing around in the bed. "Stay away from me! Please don't hurt me anymore!"

He stared at her, who had been hurting her so much? He frowned at the thought. He enveloped her in a blanket and pulled her into his arms.

He started through the dark hallway, clutching Sydney close to his body.

He heard a voice as he was opening the door and spun around on his heel.

"Drop her."

"Who is that? Stay the hell away from us."

Sydney stirred in his arms and put her arms around Weiss' neck. "He's back…"

"Come on out, let me see who you are, you asshole," Weiss spat.

Weiss' stared where the voice had come from and a familiar face emerged from the shadows.

"Drop her, or I'll shoot you both. Although dyingmight be better for her." He laughed.

"What the hell are you talking about man? She was attacked. We need to take her to the hospital."

"I'm serious, drop her right now."

"And I'm serious, if I drop her, another blow like that, it might kill her."

"Then you leave me no choice, Agent Weiss."

He lifted his gun; a lone shot rang through the quiet apartment.

Weiss braced himself for the blow. He could feel Sydney struggling for a breath in his arms. He felt her small form go limp as the man in front of him dropped his gun.

Blood spilled from Vaughn's chest as he fell to his knees in front of them. Another bullet sped through the back of his head. He fell face first to the floor with a booming thud.

Jack Bristow stood behind him a smoking gun in his hand.

_I cannot make a __single__ sound as you scream_

_it can't be that cold, the ground is still warm to touch_

_this place is so quiet, sensing that storm_


	8. With the Trust of a Child

**Chapter 8 – With the Trust of a Child**

"She's dead." Weiss whispered. "Vaughn, Sydney's dead."

Vaughn tensed in the small hospital bed. He shook his head not believing the words that he had just heard.

"No, Weiss. They told me last night she's going to be fine."

"Through the night, there were complications, internal bleeding." Weiss stumbled through his words choking back his tears.

Vaughn just stared. He didn't respond to his best friend's muffled cries or his explanations of her death. He just stared.

He laid down turning his back to his worried friend and whispered quietly to himself.

This is all my fault, this is all my fault, this is all my fault…

-

"Sydney?" Jack whispered clutching his daughter's hand.

"Dad." She smiled through the pain.

Jack Bristow hardly recognized his daughter. She looked better than she had last night. She had deep cuts stitched close on her face from jagged pieces of glass from a broken mirror. She had bruises all over her small frame from being thrown around the room. Her lip was sliced open and she couldn't see out of her right eye.

He returned her smile and then turned serious. "Sydney, I don't know if it's the best time but I know you wouldn't want me to keep secrets from you."

"What?"

"Sydney… Vaughn, your Vaughn. He's dead."

Sydney stared. She just stared She didn't respond with heaving sobs or tears. She just stared. She didn't listen to his explanations of his death. She just stared.

She laid down turning her back to her worried father and whispered quietly to herself.

This is all my fault, this is all my fault, this is all my fault…

-

Jack emerged from Sydney's room minutes later to find a panicked Eric Weiss anxiously waiting.

"I think it's for the best." Jack mumbled the words quickly leaving Weiss behind standing in the long white corridor.

-

**Six Months Later**

Sydney Bristow's life had slipped into some sort of normalcy. The normal life that she had craved and wanted was hers. The truth was she hated it. She hated a routine and knowing what every day was going to bring. She craved another mission, a new reason to save the world. Her life after the CIA, after Vaughn was not the life she wanted.

-

Michael Vaughn's life had slipped into a deep depression. He rarely left his apartment and he hadn't worked in months. Weiss tried to keep him going tried to get him to come back to the CIA but he never did. The CIA was just a reminder of her. It was a cruel reminder of his life before, his life with her.

-

The night was dark, there were no stars in the sky and no moon to stare at. He sat in the darkness of his room. He felt the cool steel in his hand. He loved the feeling of a gun in his hand.

He had been over this scenario many times. It seemed like the best option. He had written the note, it was simple. He called Eric, saying his goodbyes. He didn't have much to say. He didn't have anything to live for.

He brought the gun up and braced himself as his finger slid onto the trigger.

-

Weiss barged into the room. He had never run so fast in his entire life. He pushed the gun out of Vaughn's grasp and sat down on the bed.

"She's alive." He gasped. "She was never dead." Weiss explained his betrayal.

There had been too much trauma and betrayal for their relationship to continue. That was the explanation that Weiss and Jack had decided on. They couldn't still be together. They could never see each other again because it would be too hard on them. It could never be the same.

Vaughn listened intently to his friend's explanation. He stood up when he was finished and punched him swiftly in the face.

Weiss fell to the ground but stood up quickly.

"What the hell are you waiting for?" He asked and threw Vaughn his car keys. "She still lives in the same apartment."

-

Sydney grabbed the ice cream out of the fridge and nestled into her corner on the couch. She turned on the television and sat back enjoying the quiet evening.

The door bell chimed and she rushed to the door. She pulled the door open and almost fell backwards. She had never seen a ghost before but here he was. Michael Vaughn stared at her his green eyes meeting hers.

She shoved the door closed and screamed. "Go away. I'm going to call the CIA. They know about Project Helix. They know it could have been developed again."

The man on the other side of the door didn't reply. She peered out the small peephole. She could see the tears streaming down his dirty face. She punched the door, she knew it was really him.

She yanked open the door and stepped towards him. She put her hands up to his face tracing all the wrinkles, marks and scars. "I thought you were dead. My dad told me you were dead." She whispered.

He did the same tracing the deep scars on her face stroking her cheek gently. "Weiss told me you were dead. Tonight he told me everything. He told me you were alive."

She started backing away from him. "I can't do this. This is crazy. You're dead. At least you're dead to me." She said quietly closing the door.

"Sydney!" He yelled. "You know it's me. You know it's really me."

"But the things that happened, Vaughn. You can't expect me to just… to just understand everything and be okay with all of this."

"No, it was never me though."

"It was always you."

"Please, Sydney." He walked towards the door pushing it open.

"I can't do this again."

"You don't have to do this again. It's over. I love you."

She looked at him her eyes welling with tears. "I can't…"

"We can do this together."

She shook her head. "I can't. I'm sorry."

She slammed the door and left the broken man on her front step. She slid down to the floor curling into a tight ball letting the sobs wrack her body.

Vaughn banged on the door and soon realized his efforts were futile. He slid to the cold concrete and curled up sobbing.

Sydney stood up; she didn't know how long it had been. She opened the door and there he was. He was sitting on the step shivering.

She sat down beside him. He turned to her surprised. "I didn't think I would ever see you again."

"You're beautiful." He stared at her.

"I look like a monster." She sighed touching the scars on her face.

"No you don't. You're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

She couldn't help but smile. "I don't know why but I think I always knew you were alive. It just didn't seem possible."

"You never looked for me."

"I didn't think I could see you again."

"All I wanted to do was see you again."

"We have a lot to talk about." She stated because she knew she could do this. She knew now that he was here that she could this.

He smiled. "I love you."

She leaned against his strong body, he wrapped his arm around her and she wasn't scared anymore. She knew that thing were going to be hard but she knew things would get better, things were going to get a lot better.

"I know."

**The End**  
_  
Or is it?_

Arvin Sloane was a stubborn man. He was driven and he never gave up. His pursuit of Sydney Bristow wasn't any different. He had decided to leave Sydney alone for a few months. He wanted her to feel a false sense of security. Maybe she would think he wasn't going to come back. She would have been wrong. Sydney was the last piece of his puzzle. His puzzle could wait.

He watched from a parked van. He watched as Michael Vaughn climbed out of his car and made his way up the steps, Vaughn thought he was doing the right thing going back to Sydney, it was going to cost him his life. He watched as Sydney let him back in.

He spoke quietly into his cell phone. He watched as the men emerged from the bushes. He watched as the men exited the small apartment minutes later. He watched as the man slung Sydney's small unconscious form over his shoulder.

He smiled as he pushed the small button. He laughed when he heard the explosion and grinned when he looked back at the mass of flames that had been Sydney Bristow's life.

**The End**

Three words will never be together in my writing. Happy, Satisfying, Ending. ) I hope you enjoyed the story and I hope you will check out the sequel which will be around much sooner than later.

Erica


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